1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to control of an image capture apparatus, for example, a camcorder.
2. Description of the Related Art
Video data, which is captured by a moving-image capture apparatus including a camcorder and is recorded on a recording medium including a video tape, is usually a collection of so-called clips, that is, a series of videos continuously captured. Each clip is often relatively short in the case of the camcorder. Accordingly, it is necessary to searching for a desired clip in order to confirm the content or to edit the videos after the videos are captured.
Methods of searching for clips are disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-154731 (Patent Document 1), Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-154740 (Patent Document 2), and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-200674 (Patent Document 3). For example, in the methods disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2, an index is created for the captured image data or audio data that is recorded on a recording medium, and the created index is recorded on a recording medium different from the one having the image recorded thereon or is recorded in an area next to the image area on the recording medium on which the image is recorded.
In the method disclosed in Patent Document 3, information including recording times, recording contents, and titles is recorded in a semiconductor memory device, such as a flash memory, which is incorporated in a cassette housing a video tape. In addition, in the method disclosed in Patent Document 3, the index images for every clip are collectively recorded on a video tape, and information indicating the recording area, on the video tape, of each clip and the recording area of the corresponding index image is recorded in the semiconductor memory device in the cassette housing the video tape.
Editing software run on a personal computer or the like that is connected to a camcorder through a digital interface has increasingly been in widespread use. Also in this case, it is necessary to search for a desired clip, as described above.
However, in the above example, there is a problem in that a desired clip cannot be searched for through the digital interface by remote control. Furthermore, even when the camcorder is connected to another device through the digital interface, a desired clip must be searched for on the camcorder or an operator must manually repeat a tape operation, such as fast-forward or rewind, by the remote control to search for a desired clip.